Destrier
Destrier is the capital of Bern and the seat of its major ruling nobles, House Stallion. At first it was a hill fort belonging to the chief of the Dapple clan, they were killed off after they refused to ally with the newly encroaching Stallions, who took the place for their own and chose it as a site for their new capital. The city was officialy founded in 842 by Aramis Stallion with the laying down of the foundation for Destrier Castle. Since then, it has grown to be the largest city in the region and a major centre for trade and manufacture. Structure Destrier spans both banks of the Ursine river just before it enters its lower course. The city is encased in thick protective walls with guard towers regularly interspresed throughout their length. Like most of the important buildings in Destrier, they are made out of local basalt, The rest of the city is built out of a combination of wood and stone designed to keep in the warmth while holding up against the weight of the snow during winter. Most richer homes and commercial buildings have chimneys to heat them. Few buildings are built over one or two floors in order to preserve heat and structural integrity. During the warm months, the market square fills with colourful stalls selling all sorts of wares but during winter, the merchants trade out of their workshops to any locals who require goods. The openness of the city varies from district to district, with poorer areas being more closely packed together than richer ones. However, the main roads, such as the High Street and the roads to the gates, are always kept wide open for the flow of traffic. Destrier also contains several squares which are kept open for various purposes. These can sometimes be decorated with a fountain for water or with statuary, though the statues are made out of durable stone in order to preserve them against the winter cold. However, the city is sparsely decorated, with the exception of its few churches, the guildhalls, some of the houses of the wealthy and the Cathedral. It is said that all roads in Bern eventually lead to Destrier and this is to some extent true. From the city, it is literally possible to go to all four corners of Bern. The Horseshoe road to Medieville ends here while roads serve to connect it to the two fortresses of Konik and Tersk, as well as to the university town of Palfrey. The Ursine river also provides access either to Kustanair and the sea or further into the continent, to Lyell, Lange and beyond. The two docks, one by the merchant quarter and the market square, the other in the craftsman district beyond the Low Bridge, are therefore kept busy as long as the river is not covered in ice. Industries Destrier is primarily known for its manufacturing. Traders bring goods from all over Bern and, thanks to is connections via the river to the continent, from all four corners of Avani. Therefore, the many skilled craftsmen living in the city have easy access to materials to make their products and sell them to the merchants in return to be exported. Many merchant companies trading in and out of Bern have bases here. Notably, the alchemist's quarter in the city houses the finest alchemists in Bern. Furthermore, Destrier produces the best licensed and fully trained physicians in the region thanks to the collage located within its walls. Aside from that, the city serves as an administrative centre for the entire region and the area under direct control of House Stallion, with both the seat of the major nobles and the main courthouse being located here. The cathedral also draws pilgrims towards it looking for the blessing of Bern's patron saint but the monastery connected to it serves another purpose: being located in Destrier, it is a hub of research enough to rival the university in Palfrey. Bernian monks have a fascination with the working of the Woo's creation which serves to power scientific discovery and eventually leads to practical applications of their theories. Landmarks Destrier Castle The first thing anybody sees when coming towards Destrier is the castle. Positioned on a large outcropping of rock that slopes down to the river, the castle's strategic position is reinforced with thick defensive walls from which flow the walls encasing the rest of the city. The castle has been expanded and modified extensively from the original structure and now takes up all the space upon the rock which has become known as the "Horse's Head". It is home to part of the garrison of knights located in Destrier, part of the stables belonging to House Stallion (with the rest located just outside the city), the kennels and mews and of course, House Stallion and their household. The castle is also blessed with its own water supply in the form of an underground river, though this makes digging into the rocky outcropping for expansions difficult. Castle Gardens Outside its protective walls, there is a peaceful garden maintained for the comfort of the family on one side and for growing useful produce such as herbs and fruit on the other. Because the gardens are the first thing visitors pass on the way inside the castle, their borders are usually the most impressive and well-maintained part. They are a pleasant place to spend time in during spring and summer but in winter, when the vegetation dies, they are largely abandoned. Barracks The knight barracks that are located within the walls of the castle are divided into three distinct parts: two flanking the gates and one at the back of the castle. On the left of the gate are the trainee barracks, where the knights who have been sent to Stallion by their masters to complete their training live. On the right are the barracks of the castle garrison, who are comprised of fully trained knights who have been deemed exceptional enough to guard the castle proper. The back barracks are separate from the others for a reason: those are the Destrier headquarters of House Stallion's elite military force: the Icehounds. Destrier Garrison As well as the knights inside the castle, the city is host to its own garrison, a feature it shares only with the fortress of Konik and Tersk. It is here that all the other knights of this garrison live, work and congregate. The garrison serves as not only as a barracks but a headquarters for knights who live separately from the main forces. From here, assignments are sent out to them. It also doubles as the city guardhouse. Cathedral of Saint Absolon the Converter Begun under the early reign of Grand Duke Egan Stallion but only completed during the middle of the reign of his daughter, Renae, the Cathedral was built upon the site of an earlier church dedicated to the patron saint of Bern, Saint Absolon. It is one of the most beautifully decorated buildings in the entire city, not just in its stone carvings but also in the stained glass windows which cover its length. It is one of the few buildings in Destrier that can be described as having spires. Both it and the connected monastery draw in pilgrims from all over the region and are said to house some of the relics of Absolon. It is also where the major religious events are held and is often used by House Stallion. Notably, beneath it, is the crypt where Grand Dukes are buried. Outside it, the Cathedral Square is used for processions and ceremonies. High Street The street that connects the castle and the cathedral together, it is so called because it rests on the crest of the Horse Head hill but also since it is the hub of trade and social activity in the city. Taverns and the most skilled craftsmen in the city line the sides of the High Street, selling their wares to passers by. Physician's College The pride of Destrier and the source of all qualified physicians in Bern, who are amongst the most highly effective doctors in Kyth who do not use magic. The college is a world unto itself, comprising of lecture theatres, operating theatres, a library, medical collections and morgues among other facilities used for the training of physicians and for the development of new medical techniques. Its position by Guildhall Square has earned it the nickname of "The Physician's Guild", though it is much more extensive than any of the other guildhouses. Admission into the college costs money and courses often last from three to seven years, depending on how specialised the physician wishes to become. By demand, there is a small section of the college set aside for the training of midwives, though it is exclusive to women and the only physician training a woman can recieve. Only men are admitted into the college proper. Market Square This square is the largest in the city and the biggest trade hub in the region save for its counterpart in Kustanair. It swells on warm market days as people from inside and outside Destrier come to set up stalls and sell their wares. During winter, it is more sparsely populated as fewer people make the journey to sell their goods and travelling merchants are almost unknown. It is considered a good first step before acquiring a permanent shop to get a stall in the Market Square first. Despite how busy and chaotic it would seem at first, there is some organisation in the stall, with the master of the market assigning numbers and to stalls and merchants selling complimentary wares making agreements amongst themselves to set up shop next to each other while avoiding competition. Due to the all the various cloths and stalls set up, the Market Square is considered the most colourful part of all of Destrier. Guildhall Square The location of the headquarters of the guilds operating in Destrier, Guildhall square holds a distinction as being one of the most beautiful sqaures on the city. Each guildhouse is decorated with symbols of the profession inside and the building is designed to show off the finest work that the craftsmen belonging to the guild can display. In a way, the guildhalls serve as an advertising board for the services contained within. The guilds themselves are a powerful entity, holding political and legal sway as well as controlling the market of their chosen profession to some extent. Brewery It's a whisky brewery. The biggest city in Bern cannot be without a good whisky brewery. It produces whisky. While Tersk whisky is considered the best, the alcohol made by Destrier is not bad and is often served by local pubs. City Gatehouses Save for the river, the four gates facing the roads leading to the major towns surrounding Bern are the only way to get into the city. They are all named after the city that the road from them eventually leads to. These are Konik in the north-west, Tersk in the south-west, Percheron in the south-east and Morgan in the north-east. Every gatehouse has a patrol of knights who man it and they regularly check for contraband and fugitives amongst the people who are trying to enter the city. Usually, this is a task assigned to trainees doing their last year of loyal service in the Destrier garrison. The gatehouses are also where most of the city's inns are concentrated around. On top of the four, there are also two river gates but they are only closed during an invasion to prevent the gates rusting too much due to exposure to the water. However, they are treated specially so that during an invasion if they are closed, they do not corrode easily. High Bridge and Low Bridge While there are ferry points across the river, the most reliable ways to cross are the two bridges which span the length of the Ursine river. The High Bridge is so called because it forms a section of the High Street but it is also heavily arched in order to allow for ships to pass beneath it. The tallest ones still have to lower their masts but most river-worthy ships can sail under the bridge without any trouble. The Low Bridge is further down the length of the river and lies, as the name implies, low above the water. It can, however, split into two and raise itself up to allow a ship to pass through. It is located upriver from the main docks on the Ursine. The Low Bridge, therefore, is considered the unofficial dock gate into the city, on top of the four land gates and the two river gates that guard it. "The Woods" Not all of Destrier is pleasant, however, and this is the name given to the city's largest slum. Lying against the wall at the opposite side of the city to the castle, between the Palfrey and Percheron gates, the Woods are so nicknamed because the houses are clustered together and made out of wood. They are inhabited by the city's poorest individuals and are notable for a high population density and the fact that the city guard is wary of entering it. Customs Fountains Several of the squares have fountains installed in them, though for obvious reasons these are turned off when the weather begins to get cold to prevent damage to the pipes. These are often used as drinking water, though each fountain has a custom associated with it. The Guildhall Square fountain has merchants throw coins into it for luck before going into their guildhouse. Meanwhile, Cathedral Square's fountain is considered holy water and said to have healing properties, though the physicians hotly dispute that fact. Another notable fountain is located by the docks and it is common for sailors climbing off their ships to wash their hands on it before going out into town and again before getting back on board, to wash off their travelling and wash off the effects of the city on them respectively. Ice Faires During winter, despite the cold and darkness, the people of Destrier still manage to have some fun. When the river freezes over, particularly on the days of Woomas, locals, merchants and vendors from the taverns set up temporary stalls on the ice, usually around the Market Square, to sell merchandise or provide games for the people to play. Competitions in ice skating, ice sculpting or even snowball fights for children are very popular while hot food and drink is readily available. While these are more frequented by the common people, it is not too unusual to see the clergy, the upper-classes or even members of the nobility at these occassions. Craftsman's Festival An weekly annual event that occurs at the beginning of May. This is the time when the guilds open their doors and allow the city to come look at the wares that their craftspeople have created. Throughout the entire week, different guilds organise different exhibitions to show off the quality of their work in the hopes of attracting patrons and selling their wares. This is the best time to go around and see what the craftsmen of Destrier are truly capable of as many will hold open air demonstrations for the general public, and it is also a good time for a budding apprentice to find a master. Many nobles, clergy and rich citizens also attend the festival in order to find the best craftsmen to patronise and commission work from. "The Road to Destrier" Given the importance of the city to Bern, it is no surprise that it has left an impact on the culture of the region. One example of note is the song called "The Road to Destrier" which speaks of a man accompanying a mysterious woman to Destrier ending with her leaving him when they get to the town but him smitten. Who wrote it is unknown but it is common to hear it sung by travelling merchants or by people in the various pubs around the town. Category:Cities Category:Medieval